Danjiri and Street Market!

This morning I got to make pancakes! At last, something I can do correctly without fumbling stuff up. I remember countless mornings of helping Dad make the pancake batter, watching him create his own buttermilk, and slipping chocolate chips into the batter when I thought he wasn’t looking (he was). Okay, sure, this batter was from a mix and not created from scratch as in my youth, and I wasn’t there to make the batter, just to pour it, but it was something that I could do and that I can do well—a pleasant change from the (apparent) disaster of last night.

After that, I studied for classes on Tuesday—did I mention that tomorrow is a national holiday so I have no school? I’m planning on reveling in sleeping in—Monday is one of my 9am classes.

The children's danjiri

The adult danjiri

In the afternoon we went to a small street market. On the way, we met a couple of danjiri. What are danjiri you may ask, and how does one meet one? Danjiri are traveling shrines, hoisted on the shoulders of many muscular men in revealing clothing. It is joyous. Inside the shrine are people with drums who are singing and chanting. It is quite a cacophony. Even children enter this event, dragging smaller shrines of their own. The shrine is supposed to represent the kami (god) of the area; through this event, the kami is shown around town to view all under its protection.

At the street market, I bought a pair of earrings for a ridiculously good price. They’re my style and they look great with what I like to wear. I’m very pleased by them.

Welcome to Yamadajinja

Throw some money in the box, ring the bell, then pray to the gods

Following the street market, we went to the Yamada Jinja (the Yamada Shrine). It’s a very small shrine enclosed by a small grove of trees on top of a hill. Due to the festival, the guardians (called komainu or liondogs), have fresh bibs on to celebrate.

New bib! Look at how white and fresh it is!

Also at Yamada is a small shrine to Inari (the fox god) that imitates the famous Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto with its many tori (gates).

The tori gates

The shrine

Inside the shrine reside two stone foxes, a manjuu (type of sweet bun (the white thing)), and some fresh produce (persimmon and cucumber), also sake. You cannot have an offering to a god without sake. 

For dinner, we made sushi--both maki (rolled in seaweed) and Inarizushi (with aburage). As usual, I did not live up to the Japanese standard, which is okay because, unlike Okaasan, I have not spent my life devoted to the art of Japanese cooking and standards.Okaasan took over the stuffing, so in my sushi I had egg, shrimp, octopus, cucumber, fish, fish paste boiled with bamboo, asparagus, and (a Kansai specialty) a hot dog.

That circle = hot dog. Only found in Kansai area sushi...

My maki sushi and Inarizushi

Okaasan making Inarizushi (which I failed completely at...)

Cucumber sushi -- named Kappa Sushi after the water dwelling monster that is said to be fond of cucumbers.

The sushi Okaasan allowed me to make for her with fishpaste, egg, cucumber, octopus, and shrimp.